Pages

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Seedy ingredients and advertising...

I've been doing a lot of grocery shopping lately, and in multiple stores, and I've noticed a new "trend" lately. It seems the big food companies have heard the battle cry of 'NO HFCS' and have heeded it. I see package after package, bottle after bottle of whatever it is... touting "Now with NO HFCS!" Really? Ya just now realized it's the DEVIL? Ya JUST NOW realized that Europe BANNED IT in 1974 because of it potential to be life threatening?

While I am a huge proponent of getting RID of artificial sweeteners, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Modified Food starches, and all things "Partially Hydrogenated"... THEY MUST ALSO come up with a way to MAKE FOOD NOT TOO SHELF FRIENDLY... and help us go back to the days when food was FRESH... and ya had to eat it in a couple of days or it would spoil...

A "food" with a long shelf life IS NOT A GOOD THING! Have you ever seen the Morgan Spurlock dude... the guy who made the Documentary about eating McDonalds for thirty days? He did an experiment on McDonalds food, and the FRENCH FRIES NEVER DECOMPOSED... IN 2 1/2 MONTHS... there is something really WRONG with that! Click on this link to see what I am talking about...

Also... I'm really not happy with the amount of "cane sugar" and other seedy ingredients they put into foods, to replace the HFCS. I truly believe they think we are stupid... and don't know how to read labels.

My kids don't eat (at least not in my house) A LOT of their favorite foods they love. Why? Because after learning what I've learned, and reading every single box, and ingredients list I touch, I've made the decision that I didn't have my children so they can be science experiments for our food industry. Fruit is sweet enough without adding sugar. Veggies taste great withOUT globs of cheese. Snacks don't need to come from an individual wrapper inside a box... Munching on yummy trail mix and sipping on lightly sweetened green tea at a movie WON'T kill them. On the contrary... they may just live a heck of a lot longer, and a good degree healthier.

I am so glad the food industry is trying to make some changes... but I don't like the CLOAKING of ingredients to make them seem healthier. Some words to stay far, far away from are...

I like my ingredients lists to be no more than 4-5 ingredients. I also like them to be words I can say to a 5 year old and have them understand it. That's my rule of thumb. If it's not... then I don't BUY IT!

Also... beware of grocery stores touting "New Convenient Size"... on products. That just means they are giving you LESS food for the SAME price. For instance... Pasta was ALWAYS sold in 1 lb packages... now... 12 OUNCES.. FOR THE SAME PRICE... Yeah... they think we are soooo dumb... so now... I only buy pasta that is sold in 1 lb packages.

Fleecing us isn't gonna work anymore...I'll make sure of it... somehow...